I like toys that slap my clit until I come.

This would have been inconceivable to me a few years ago. My vibration-lovin’ clit, enjoying literally anything besides a trusty bullet vibe? Impossible! But now my We-Vibe Tango is collecting dust, and I’m reaching for oscillators, air pulsators, and clit-slappin’ tongue toys.

French Kiss is a CalExotics collection of tiny-tongued stimulators: the Charmer, the Sweet Talker, and the Casanova. SheVibe sent me the Charmer (which has a longer handle) and the Casanova (which has an attached bullet egg) for review.

Because of their similarities, I’ll be primarily focusing on the Casanova.

the french kiss clitoral stimulators design

I really love the bright, sexy red that CalExotics went with for these toys. Cliche or not, I find red to be a very erotic color. I think it makes these somewhat goofy design ideas look classier. (And it matches my favorite budget crop, the Fetish Fantasy Series Heart Crop!)

The French Kiss Charmer and Casanova are both made of body-safe silicone. That means:

• They’re not going to degrade, permanently hold onto odors, or harbor bacteria.
• You can sanitize them with a 10% bleach bath and share them with others.
• They can be safely store them with other (legit) silicone toys.
• You can use either water-based or oil-based lubes – stay away from silicone lubes!

These toys are also waterproof – yay bathtime – and USB rechargeable. If you don’t like magnetic chargers, you’re in luck: the charge cord is a thick pin. It takes about 2 hours to charge, and runs for an hour-ish.

The Casanova is shaped like a tulip bulb with an open, flexible mouth. Inside that mouth is a thin tab of silicone, about as wide as a fingertip. In use, the tab flickers back and forth so quickly it becomes a blur – more of a bumblebee wing than a tongue!

(Video audio was corrupted. The toy isn’t silent; it has a distinct buzzing hum.)

The Charmer’s mouth is wider and has a more prominent lip. Its body is also a bit longer, which might make it easier for some to hold/maneuver.

The Casanova’s egg-shaped bullet vibe is firm but with the same soft silicone finish as the rest of the toy. It attaches to the Casanova’s body via a supple silicone tube to protect the wiring. There’s an unsubtle seam where the tube and bullet meet. I assumed the seam would get gunky (ugh) and be a nuisance to clean, but CalExotics cleanly sealed it over.

(The crack between the silicone and metalic banding on the body, however, will need a quick fingernail check during washing. Sorry!)

buttons and settings 

The tongue tab and bullet vibe are controlled by two separate buttons that are recessed into the silicone. There are 12 flickering settings (3 speeds and 9 patterns) and 12 vibration settings (3 speeds, 9 patterns.) To turn a function on or off, you have to hold the respective button down for 2-3 seconds. An off-center red light glows when it’s on.

Two nitpicks here:

First, the buttons are difficult to find while using the toy with damp fingers, especially if it’s already on and vibrating. They need a firm press, so if you have pressure exertion or mobility issues, be wary.

Second, the French Kiss Casanova starts on the last function used, which means if you like to start on a different setting than you finish with (such as starting on the lowest and increasing speeds as you near orgasm), you’ll have to click back through all of them the next time you turn the toy on. Bafflingly, CalExotics considers this a plus.

let’s talk about the flickering function

When I showed my roommate the French Kiss Casanova, she was horrified. “Doesn’t that hurt?” she asked incredulously.

“Yes and no,” I said.

Because, I mean, yeah – you’re rapidly slapping your genitals with a tiny wing of silicone. Of course it hurts! It stings like a continuous bite, or like the harshest, most targeted vibrations. But it’s mean in a good way! Like teeth against your nipple or the hint of a scratch when your clit is already hard and pulsing beneath someone’s fingers.

Everyone’s body is different. Maybe that all sounds unpleasant and painful. There’s nothing wrong with that! If you’re adventurous (or masochistic) and want to try anyway, you can reduce the intensity by holding the tongue tab closer to your body. With less swinging room, the tab’s fluttering loses a lot of sting. It feels more like fluttery vibrations. (Sometimes I just stick to this method.) As your body adjusts, you can pull it away centimeter by centimeter to test your reaction/endurance.

The French Kiss toys’ patterns provide a few less-mean options. They’re all pulses – that is, concentrated bursts of movement with brief pauses in between – and crescendos. If continuous fluttering is too much, patterns break up the intensity.

If you’re interested in fluttering toys but want something different, I actually prefer the Ultimate Tongue-Gasm. The tongue tip is wider/broader, and it flutters stronger. It’s backed by deeply satisfying, rumbly vibrations, so there’s more massage to go with the bite. For licks rather than flicks, my favorite remains the Ultimate Pleasure Pump.

getting into position

I have a “buried” clit: my prominent pubic mound and chubby labia completely hide my clitoris from view. To use toys like the French Kiss Charmer or Casanova, I have to hold my labia open with my other hand.

The Charmer’s wider mouth is both a blessing and an inconvenience. I have to hold myself wider to accommodate its bulk, but if I hold the toy a certain way, the flexible silicone lips can keep my labia parted for me. This limits how I can angle the tongue though, so it’s not my favorite way to use the toy. The Casanova has a slimmer mouth that’s easier to make room for.

Even if the French Kiss Clitoral Stimulators didn’t have mouths, the toys’ functionality would require me to unearth my clit. You can’t lick what you can’t reach.

Two-handed masturbation is, obviously, more complicated than using a regular vibrator one-handed. I’ve wrapped up more than one testing session early so I could be lazy and just grab a wand. (2020 has been hell, don’t judge me.) If you typically use toys one-handed but have a fleshy vulva, that’s something to keep in mind.

bonus egg bullet vibe

I very firmly recommend the Casanova over the Charmer and Sweet Talker purely because it has an additional vibrator. You can stick this anywhere (it doesn’t have a flared base, but the silicone cord is incredibly sturdy – you can safely retrieve it from a butt!) to compliment your experience, or ditch the flickering tongue completely and stick to vibing. For someone trying this tech for the first time, a backup in case of disappointment is worth the extra $5-10 USD. (Unless, of course, you already own backups!)

The vibrations are super buzzy, meaning they ride the surface of your skin and feel kinda waspy/itchy. Although shallow, the Casanova bullet’s vibrations have some power to them. The third and highest steady setting is about as strong as the Blush Power Vibe’s first setting.

I’m not fond of buzzy vibrations. I’ll take the rumbly Noje Fauna Mini Wand over this bullet egg any day. But I do enjoy using it at my desk, because I can tuck it into my pants. The buttons are on the main body of the toy, so I can casually click through the vibrations while I work.

final thoughts on the french kiss

The French Kiss Casanova’s flickering tongue is intense, targeted friction that isn’t for the faint of clit (or nipples, or penis, or wherever you point its fluttery sting.) Its egg bullet is just so-so, but I feel that its presence softens the blow if you don’t enjoy the tongue tab.

I think the French Kiss Casanova is an attractive, well-designed, intriguingly stimulating sex toy. Its packaging is modern and classy (I love the flirty kiss print), and the marketing language is casually gender neutral (yay for not alienating queer and trans consumers.) A lot of very similar flickering tongue toys have come out recently, but the French Kiss line doesn’t feel… rushed, like others I’ve tried this year.

You can find the French Kiss Casanova ($45 USD as of this writing) and the French Kiss Charmer ($50 USD) on SheVibe.

Thank you, SheVibe, for sending me the CalExotics French Kiss Casanova and Charmer in exchange for an honest review. 

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